Let's Build A House! Or Several!

Here is a great quilting adventure--especially if you enjoy building houses as much as I do--

this is an easy way to build houses!

Bear Creek Quilting Company is hosting a "Be My Neighbor" Block of The Week event.

Every Friday a new free block will be released.  Sign up for their newsletter

so you can keep up with the neighborhood!

This is the block for week of September 9th

Here is my block from that week

Oh, dear--some remodeling needs to be done!  

The chimneys are following off the roof--

that's a job for Mr. Ripper!

Myth of Sugar Wrappers

Have you heard that early American settlers used the blue paper from sugar cones to dye their fabric?
I have!  And why not?  It was there from the sugar cone wrappers.  Why just throw it away?

I found such a blue wrapped paper sugar cone on my visit to the Farm House at Washington on the Brazos Historical Site.  The following article debunks the logic that Early American Settlers used this for dye--Read on!

A sweet story, but experts in historic crafts say that no actual instances of this practice are known in America’s colonial era. Apart from lack of evidence, it is illogical. Refined sugar was an expensive, imported luxury—think caviar—that only the wealthiest could afford. Not the sort who are scrimping and recycling their wrapping paper or dying their own fabric. (If the family budget couldn’t stretch to include sugar, what did folks back then use for sweeteners? Maple sugar, honey, molasses, or muscovado sugar. Or nothing.)
But lo and behold, several household management books published in the mid-nineteenth century do mention this practice. In one of them, The American Frugal Housewife (1835), author Lydia Childs tells how to make various cheap dyes, including “a fine purple slate color” by boiling sugar wrapping paper in vinegar with alum and boiling it in an iron kettle. In another, Eliza Leslie’sLady’s Frugal House-Book; a Manual of Domestic Economy(1850), the chapter on domestic dyes tells how to make a slate color by boiling vinegar and alum in an iron kettle with some pieces of “the thick purple paper that comes round sugar-loaves.”
Why then and not earlier? Probably because that’s when sugar became cheap. The expansion of Caribbean sugar plantations flooded the market with sugar and prices dropped, bringing sugar loaves, wrapped in traditional purplish-blue paper, within reach of most housewives. And the average housewife is just the sort who might be interested in learning to dye her own fabric on the cheap. So this myth is false when heard at early American sites and true for later, nineteenth-century sites.
Where did the purplish-blue paper custom, as opposed to white or brown or another color, originate? Probably in the Middle East or North Africa, where sugarcane cultivation originated. In certain North African countries, sugar is still sold that way in grocery stores, as large cones wrapped in blue paper. I saw them in a Moroccan grocery store a few years ago, and also in a market in Jordan.

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An Afternoon Spent at Washington on The Brazos

Recently, the blond headed daughter (bhd) said, "let's take a picnic and go on a road trip!"

Well, not a long road trip--please--no, let's just drive about 1.5 hours from the house to one of the 

most historic places in Texas History--Washington On The Brazos.  It is said to be the

birth place of Texas Independence.  Oh, okay, let's go, but let's not take a picnic--it's just too darn hot!

We'll find that airport diner in Brenham for lunch--all agreed and we're off!

I'm glad we took the ranch walking tour--where I found some textile treasures.

like this overshot woven upholstered chair.

sad though, as it has faced the sun way too long and has faded--

this would definitely happen without window dressings in 1800's

The bed covering was a fancy applique

and in the other bedroom, this lovely pieced plaid quilt adorned the bed

In the dining area, we found a floor cloth-- used in the place of carpets or rugs

We ventured to the museum, which was across the road from the farm house and

upstairs I found more wonderful textiles--like this Grandmother's flower garden quilt

A super great applique quilt--with star borders

Look--a lazy kate!  I never could find the reasonings behind calling it lazy kate!  

The Lone Star Quilt!  One of my favorite patterns and very difficult to piece in the 1800's

and a remarkable piece of overshot pattern with weaving shuttle and quills (bobbins)

a variation on the Lone Star Quilt

Hand quilting in circles

At the foot of the bed--wouldn't you like to cover yourself with this delight?

hand quilting!

another example of overshot coverlet

Here you can see how the strips were seamed to make a full size coverlet.

Okay, even though it was a hot day, it was an enjoyable day visiting Texas History again.

Quilters Exchange!

The other day we exchanged 5" squares of fabric.  We'll blame Sandy!  She brought her quilt that she made from 5" floral fabric and the idea of fabric exchange popped into our heads.  It was not my first fabric exchange or will it be my last as exchanges are always fun!

This is the quilt that Sandy made from Susie's Scraps, only Sandy add some extra borders to make a

bigger quilt

Don't you just love Judy's pumpkins!  Anyway, here is another photo of Sandy's

finished quilt

You can see that the 5" floral prints make for a nice size block.

We each received a good selection of Texas wildflowers and Western theme fabrics.

There were 9 of us in the exchange--we each cut 14 different fabrics (total 124) for each person.

Now, we're off to make this quilt!

Maybe, you'll join in with us.

Work in Progress--WIP

Whenever we travel I make sure to take plenty of projects with me--you just never know when

you'll have some down time--a flight delay, long plane ride, or just plain boredom.

This past trip I took a UFO that I found in the bottom of the bin before I left.

I faintly remember when I bought this

pattern from Crabapple Hill--oh dear!  I just flipped to the website and saw another

pattern I want to do!  Anyway, I like their patterns and this one was no exception--just

let it age way too long!  And with fall approaching, it was time to get to it!

So, I traced off the pattern, gathered my supplies and packed!

Luckily, I had this box of Crayolas--I LOVE Crayolas!  Just love them!

I have several boxes, tins, special collections--and the worse thing about me--

I hate, yes, hate to use the Crayolas!!  I Want to keep those sharp points, you know!

It was time to use these though--what am I saving them for?

I have no little grandkids anymore

This collection contains, 'retired' colors (hard to believe they retire some of my favorite colors!)

plus this box of 64 colors--just what is needed for this pattern.  Then I'm looking at the pattern

and the colors--did you know there are such color names as 'goldenrod', dandelion, tumbleweed,

wisteria and macaroni & cheese!!?  I never took the colors out of the box--I just collect!

It was a surprise to me!

you're saying--why do you need colors?  Because with this pattern, you color first before

stitching--this was way too much fun!  I enjoyed fondling my colors and reading each

name on the wrapper--I think I was good with the points too.

I know--Crazy me!

Dealgan?? What??

Check out this video on how to use a Dealgan.   This is fascinating to me!  Why not--there are so many different versions of spindles and this is the most interesting one that allows you to spin and when finished slip off the ball of yarn.

What's a Dealgan? It's an 18th century Scottish spindle. A little piece of wood, really, about 5-6" long with a knob at the skinny end and a bulb at the far end, with a flat bottom and an X cut into that flat bottom. Why this shape and size, then? Portability, durability, utility. All are possible. It's one sturdy piece, so it can be dropped, tucked away, or even thrown with little chance of harm coming to it. It forces you to wind a sturdy ball similar to that wound on a nostepinne, and the conical shape means you can pop the ball off when you are done.  The Dealgan is clearly a historical spindle.

Breakfast on The Road

When we stay in a condo with a microwave, I know I can prepare a quick breakfast!

All we have on hand are eggs, cheese, some cream cheese, bagel and milk

I found a nice size bowl in the cupboard (I've also used a coffee cup)

Small amount of milk in the bowl (about tsp.), crack in an egg

We had some cheese from snacks last night, so a few crumbs on top of the egg

Beat! Beat! That egg--place in microwave for 45-60 seconds (I always

cover with paper towel).  Ta Da!  It's done!

See, a nice little omelet!

smear on some cream cheese (if you have it) place your omelet

and you have your breakfast in less than 2 minutes!!

In a coffee cup, you will have higher and fluffy omelet egg dish!!

Enjoy!